Why Revelation?

Revelation is a wild and wooly text full of visions and beasts and dragons and fire and fear. But at its core, Revelation is a book of promise and hope. Don’t let the angrier or louder voices in our culture take the book from us. Invite folks into a conversation about how the last book of the Bible might offer a beginning for us as people of faith.  

With this seven-part video-based Bible study, you’ll hear stories that invite you to see the promise of God calling from the pages of Revelation. You’ll build skills to read Scripture from its original context and in ways that resonate with our daily lives. With beautifully filmed videos and a helpful discussion guide, you’ll have everything you need to hear a word of hope in a disorienting and chaotic world.

 

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📺 Episode Overviews

Each video is around 15 minutes long and includes an accompanying study guide to spark reflection.

 

Episode 1: Revealing God’s Faithfulness (Revelation 1:1-4)

Revelation can be associated with fear, even a little terror. In this introduction, Pastor Matthew invites us to reconsider the Book of Revelation as prophetic letters and apocalyptic literature that remind us of God’s persistent and faithful love, calling us back to God, and revealing God’s vision for the future, which includes us. 

Episode 2: Apocalypse As Gift (Revelation 1:1-4; 21:1-5)

Meant to be read aloud in community, apocalyptic literature like the Revelation offers a warning to those in power and provides comfort to those who are persecuted. In this episode, Pastor Andrea presents Revelation as a word of warning and comfort to the people of the Roman Empire and to us today. In the middle of oppression, God is making things new. 

Episode 3: Church: Flawed and Redeemed (Revelation 2-3)

Pastor Jia Starr Brown reminds us of the danger of being a lukewarm church. Like people in John’s time, people today are leaving the church because they do not feel welcome, are doubting their faith, and are hungry for the living Word of God and not feeling fed. God is not giving up on us. Revelation requires us to wake up and turn around. 

Episode 4: Worship: Rhythm and Anthem (Revelation 4:9-11; 8:1; 11:15-17)

Revelation 4 and 5, as Pastor White points out, cast a vision of an expanding worship service to surpass all worship services. Humans and creatures join in to praise God. The choir swells until all corners of creation are joining together in song. When God is praised, the powers of the world fade away. All are included, and the party would not be the same without you.

Episode 5: Cosmos and Cities (Revelation 17-18; 21:2,15-27)

Revelation was responsive to the political structures of their time. John was referencing the dominant and oppressive Roman Empire who terrorized the early church. The story of Revelation is the story of God overthrowing systems of oppression. Pastor Tyler reminds us that Revelation is not just a prediction or a poem, but a prophetic text and a call to action so that the world today might look more like God’s vision.

Episode 6: Hell: Beasts & 666 (Revelation 13:1-18)

Pastor Andea delves into Revelation 13, which tells of two monsters, one demanding to be worshipped and one telling people not to be afraid. John is encouraging people in the midst of real fear and oppression, to worship God not Caesar. We have modern day monsters to see and contend with, and Revelation encourages us to notice injustice and usher in the reign of God. 

Episode 7: Heaven: God. Here. Now. (Revelation 21-22)

Joe Davis closes the series, naming John as a poet who is bridging this world to the next. The invisible becomes visible. The abstract becomes concrete. There is no divide between sacred and secular. There is sacredness in you, in the land, everywhere. God is already working in our communities. How can you join in? 

Meet Our Collaborators

Rev. Andrea Roske-Metcalfe

Joe Davis

Rev. Matthew Ian Fleming

Rev. Tyler Sit

Rev. Dr. Jia Starr Brown

Rev. Dr. Adam White

Why Old & New?

We know how hard it is to find a Bible study that can be used easily in any context. Church Anew went about this production with a simple premise: Ignite curiosity in the Bible through generous invitation, fresh witness, and breathtaking video.

This study doesn't assume that people know the story, and it invites everyone to apply it to our lived experiences. Each video will share a fresh witness to the text with dynamic storytelling from some remarkable preachers and leaders. The series draws viewers in and leaves ample room to wonder how the Bible might be made new in each of our lives.

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We know how hard it is to find a Bible study that can be used easily in any context.

 

Church Anew created the Old & New series with a simple premise: Ignite curiosity in the Bible through generous invitation, fresh witness, and breathtaking video.

Buy Now

Get the First Season:

Old & New - Genesis 

Bring the old, old stories of the first book of the Bible to life in a new way with fresh perspectives and faithful witness in Old & New - Genesis: Belonging to God's Good.

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